Rooftop slums are a stark reminder of Hong Kong’s social and housing problems
Thousands live in illegal subdivided residential units, yet those on rooftops are particularly vulnerable to eviction because of their visibility
In a dilapidated shack on the roof of a Cheung Sha Wan residential building, an old woman crouches over a shallow bucket of water, rinsing a HK$5 pair of cucumbers for lunch. Sunlight seeps through cracks in a ceiling that is haphazardly constructed out of tarpaulin, metal pipes and sheets of corrugated iron. Clothes and hangers dangle from rusty wires.
The 67-year-old woman, surnamed Law, lives in the subdivided rooftop unit with nine other residents. They are struggling to make ends meet in a city with one of the most expensive property markets worldwide. Four families, each with a room, share a communal living area plus a bathroom and kitchen – all in a space less than 300 sq ft.
“When it rains, it just drips right through. We have to hold an umbrella while we’re cooking,” Law said.
Law is among an estimated 10,000 low-income residents or 3,000 households illegally living in rooftop shacks, Sze Lai-shan, a social worker with non-profit group Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), said. Trapped by rising private sector rents and long waiting times for public housing, such residents are forced to live in squalid conditions under the threat of eviction.
